hardie



No. 6I6,922. Patented Jan. 3, I899. R. HARDIE.

AIR STORAGE MOTOR GAB. (Application filed Feb. 1, 1897. Banewed Sept 10, 1598.)

. 2 Sheets-Shut (H Model.)

N0. 6l6,922. Patented Jan. 3, I899.

B. HARDIE. AIB STORAGE fumToB' cAR. (Application-filed Feb. 1, 1897. Renewed Sept 10,-1898.)

2 Shee'ts-Sheet 2'.

- (No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFrcE.

ROBERT HARDIE, OF ROME, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERAL COMPRESSED AIR COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Al R-STO RAG E MOTOR-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 616,922, dated January'S, 1899.

Application filed February 1, 1897. Renewed September 10, 1898. Serial No. 690,687. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT HARDIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rome, in the county of Oneida and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Storage Motor-Oars and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a certain detail of improvement in the airstorage motor-car or locomotive which is fully-disclosed in my pending application for United States Letters Patent, filed September 2, 1896, under Serial No. 604,621, entitled Air-storage motor-cars. In the said airstorage motor-car or locomotive, as will appear from said pending application, the air is carried on the carat an initial pressure of about two thousand pounds in suitable reservoirs. From these high-storage-pressure reservoirs the air passes first through a suitable reduction-valve for reducing the same to the desired working pressure of about one hundred and fifty pounds,and thence through a hot-water air-reheater and out through the throttle-valve and piping to the cylinders of the car-driving engines. The working-pressure pipe at some point between the reduction-valve and the reheater is tapped by a supply-pipe leading to a combination-valve which controls the supply to a brake-motor and to supplemental starting connections for the drivingengines. One or more checkvalves are located in the working-pressure pipe between the reduction-valve and the reheater; and the said supply pipe for the combination-valve taps the said working-pressure pipe between the said check-valve adjacent to the reheater and the said reduction-valve. The object was to secure dry or unmoistened air for use in the brake-motor and for starting the engines under the control of said combination-valve. The obj eot of the checkvalve adjacent to the reheater was to keep the water from backing up into the workingpressure pipe and the said connections tapping the same between said check-valve and said reduction-valve. In practice, however,

it was found that in some instances, in case of an excessive draft to-the combination-valve for the brake-motor or the starting connections, the pressure between the said checkvalve and the reduction-valve would be temporarily reduced to such an extent that the air would flow back from the reheater and carry more or less water with the same into the said piping, controlled by said combination-valve. This was of course a serious ob jection, and to overcome the same I have provided and applied a drip-pocket or watertrap in the working-pressure pipe between the check-valve at the reheater and the point at which the said supply-pipe to the combination-valve taps said working-pressure pipe. This drip-pocket is so arranged that whatever water may come back from the reheater when the combination-valve is in use-as, for example, to set the brake or for starting the driving-engines-will be caught in the said trap or pocket. Then when the combination-valve is closed, so that the air takes its normal course from the reduction-valve into the reheater, this movement of the air will force back into the reheater whatever water may have been caught in the drip-pocket. By this detail of improvementIavoid the accumulation of any water in the piping which is controlled by the combination-valves, thereby avoiding the injurious results which would follow from water in the said pipes.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like notations refor to like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a part of the airstorage motor-car piping, such as was disclosed in my pending case, but shown as equipped with my present improvement. Fig. 2 is a view of the same, chiefly in right-end elevation, but partly in cross-section; and Fig. 3 is a detail showing the drip-pocket or trap detached. 1

Only so much of the piping and the Working system of said air-storage motor-car has been illustrated as is deemed necessary to illustrate my present improvement.

The numeral 1 represents the pipe-sections which lead from the high-pressure-storage reservoirs (not shown) at the opposite ends of the car-truck frame to a fitting 2, and thence through pipesections 3 to the reduction valve 4:. From the reduction-valve 4 the air passes at the reduced or working pressure through pipe-section 5 and check-valve 6 into pipe-section 7. The pipe-section 7 connects to fitting S, from which a curved pipe-section 9 leads to the drip-pocket or trap 10, tapping the same at its highest interior level. From the drip-pocket 10 a pipe-section 11 leads to the check-valve 12, and thence pipesections 13, 14, and 15 .lead into the hot-water air-reheater 16. The pipe-section 11 taps the drip-pocket 10 at the lowest level therein. From the hot-water air-reheater 16 the air passes out through pipe 17 to the throttlevalve 18, which is under the control of the throttle-lever 19. Thence the air passes by pipe-sections 20 to the valve-chests of the driving-engines 21.

inder 27 for the operation of the brake-motors to set or release the brakes at will under the control of the combination-valves 23. From the said combination-valves 23 also extend pipes 28 to a fitting 29, whence branches 30 extend to pipes 31, leading to suitable ports (not shown) in the seats of the distributionvalves (not shown) for use in starting the engines when the riding cut-off valves are in their cut-off positions. Otherwise stated, the combination-valves 23 control the brake-motor and the starting connections for the car-. driving engines. It will be seen that the supply of air to said combination-valves 23 is effected through the pipe-sections 22 and is drawn from the working-pressure pipe at the fitting S or a point in the working-pressure system between the check-valves 6 and 12; but the drip-pocket 10 is located between the check-valve 12 and the said fitting 8. Hence if the draft occasioned by the use of the combination-valve for setting the brake or for starting should so reduce the pressure in the working-pressure pipe as to cause the air to flow back from the heater l6 and carry more or less water therewith through the check-valve 12 the same will pass through the pipe-section 11 into the drip-pocket 10 at the lowest level therein and be caught by the said pocket, while the air will pass on outward through the pipe-section 9 from the upper level of the pocket or trap. Then when the combinationvalve is thrown into its closed position or the air is otherwise permitted to take its normal course from the reduction-valve iinto the reheater 16 the air-pressure through the pipesection 9 will force the water back from the pocket or trap 10 through the pipe-section 11, check 12, and connections 18, 14, and 15 into the reheater 16. As the backflowage orleakage through the check 12 is slight and can only occur at the times when an excessive draft is produced on the working-pressure pipe between the checks 6 and 12 for affording the necessary supply to the GOIIlblDitlilOll valve 23, this drip-pocket 10 is ample to catch and subsequently return any water that may come into the same from the reheater. In this combination, therefore, the drip-pocket is entirely automatic in its action. Otherwise stated, it catches the water under the backflowage of air and water from the reheater and again clears itself When the air takes its normal course from the reduction-valve into the reheater. This combination is therefore a valuable one in the practical working of the system, for the reason that dry air is thereby insured in all the piping or connections controlled by the combination-valves 23. If water were permitted to accumulate in said piping or connections controlled bysaid combination-valves 23, the control of the car might and probably would be seriously impaired. If by freezing or other cause the brake-motor or the starting connections could not be successfully operated, it is obvious that the control of the car would be in a large measure lost.

From the foregoing it will be seen that with this system reheated and moistened air is normally used in the driving-engine, but that for certain other purposes,'such as the brake-motor and the starting connections, dry air is desired. Hence the i pipe-sections 22 may be regarded as dry-air-supply pipes tapping the working-pressure system between the reheater and the reduction-valve to afford a supply of dry'air for the brakemotor, starting connections, &c., and by the addition of the drip-pocket 10, applied and arranged as described, the desireddry air is absolutely insured without interfering with the other desiredactions of the system.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent of the'United States, is as follows:

1. In an air-storage motor-car or locomotive, the combination with a reduction-valve and a hot-water air-reheater through which the air is usually passed before-entering the car-driving engine or engines, of a dry-airsupply pipe, for a brake-motor or other purpose, tapping the working-pressure pipe between said reheater and said reduction-Valve, and a drip-pocket or water-trap, in said working-pressure pipe, between said reheater and said dry-air-supply pipe, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In an air-storage motor-carer locon1otive, the combination witha reduction-valve and a hot-water air-reheater through which the air is usually passed before entering the car-driving engine or engines, of a watercheck valve in the working-pressure pipe be tween said reduction-valve and said reheater, a dry-air-supply pipe, for a brake-motor or other purpose, tapping said working-pressure pipe between said water-check valve and said reduction-valve, and a drip-pocket or water-trap in said working-pressure pipe be tween said water-check valve and said dryair-supply pipe, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In an air-storage motor-car or locomotive, the combination with a reduction-valve and a hot-water air-reheater, through which the air is usually passed before entering the driving engine or engines, of a water-check valve in the working-pressure pipe between the reduction-valve and the reheater, a dryair-supply pipe, for a brake-motor or other purpose, tapping said working-pressure pipe between said water-check and said reduction valve, and the drip-pocket or water-trap 10 in the working-pressure pipe, between said water-check and said reduction valve, with the dry-air connections 9 tapping the trap at its highest level and the water or wet-air connection 11 tapping the trap at its lowest level, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In an air-storage motor-car or locomotive, the combination with the car-driving engines, of a brake-motor, a reduction-valve, and a hot-water air-reheater through which the air is usually passed before entering the said engine-cylinder, supplemental or starting connections for said driving-engine, combination-valves controlling the brake-motor connections and said starting connections, a pair of check-valves in the working-pressure pipe between said reduction-valve and said reheater, dry-air-supply pipes for said combination-valves, tapping said working-pressure pipe between said two check-valves, and a drip-pocket or water-trap between said dry-air-supply pipe and the watercheck member of said pair of check-valves, with the dry-air connection to the trap at its highest level and the water or wet-air connection to the trap at its lowest level, all for cooperation, substantially as described.

- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT HARDIE.

Witnesses: I J. E. STEBBINS, Gno. D. LITTLE. 

